Australia will
change a raft of federal laws to remove discrimination
against gay couples but will stop short of allowing same-sex
marriages, the government announced Wednesday.
Under the
changes, gay couples in long-term relationships would be
treated the same as married couples on issues such as
taxation, pensions, and welfare payments, Attorney
General Robert McClelland said.
Gay marriage is a
hot-button issue for many Australians, and gay rights
advocates say it is a key test of authorities' willingness
to end discrimination.
But McClelland
said the Marriage Act would not be among the laws changed.
''The government
believes that marriage is between a man and a woman,''
he said.
The changes -- to
about 100 different laws -- will begin being introduced
to parliament next month, and the process is expected to be
completed by mid 2009, McClelland said.
Some examples of
the changes include that children being reared by gay
couples would be considered dependents of both adults for
tax and unemployment benefits, and same-sex couples
would be treated as a family unit for pension
purposes.
Rights advocates
welcomed the changes, though they said the government
should go further and recognize gay marriages.
''Gay and lesbian
Australians will not be fully equal until we are
allowed the right to marry the partner of our choice,''
Rodney Croome of the Australian Coalition for Equality
group told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
The Most Reverend
Peter Jensen, the Anglican archbishop of Sydney, who is
a vocal opponent of gay marriage, said people in platonic
relationships deserve the same benefits as gay couples
under the law reforms.
''I hope this is
not just pro-gay, so to speak, but pro-people ... in
order to make sure there is justice for all Australians,''
Jensen told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
He said friends
living together in long-standing platonic relationships
''support and strengthen each other.''
''There'd be many
Christian people living like that, and I think that
sort of thing could also be recognized,'' Jensen added.
The changes will
bring the federal government more closely into line with
state and territory governments, which have already passed
laws recognizing same-sex couples in their
jurisdictions.
Under state laws,
long-term gay couples are recognized as de facto
partners with some legal rights. But the federal Marriage
Act defines the union as between a man and a woman.
Australia is in
line with many countries in Europe that give some legal
recognition to same-sex couples -- though few recognize gay
marriages. In the United States, state bans on
same-sex marriages or unions are widespread, though
domestic partnerships are recognized in some
places. (Rod McGuirk, AP)
